Abe quotes Thatcher on sea dispute

‘IMMUTABLE’:：Shinzo Abe cited Margaret Thatcher’s words on the rule of law over the use of force and stressed the importance of fortifying the Japan-US security alliance

Reuters, TOKYO

Fri, Mar 01, 2013 - Page 6

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose country is embroiled in a row with China over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), which are also claimed by Taiwan and which Japan calls the Senkakus, yesterday quoted former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s reflections on the 1982 Falklands war with Argentina to stress the importance of the rule of law at sea.

“Our national interests have been immutable. They lie in making the seas, which are the foundation of our nation’s existence, completely open, free and peaceful,” Abe said in a prepared policy speech to parliament covering a wide range of issues.

Abe went on to quote a remark from Thatcher’s memoirs, reflecting on the Falklands war, in which she said Britain was defending the fundamental principle that international law should prevail over the use of force.

The war over the remote South Atlantic archipelago began when Argentine troops landed on the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, and ended 74 days later with their surrender. The conflict killed about 650 Argentine and 255 British troops.

Continuing in his own words, Abe said: “The rule of law at sea. I want to appeal to international society that in modern times, changes to the status quo by the use of force will justify nothing.”

Tokyo’s ties with Beijing chilled sharply after the Japanese government in September last year bought three of the rocky islands in the East China Sea, which are controlled by Japan, from a private owner, sparking violent protests in China.

A flare-up in tensions in the territorial row has raised fears of an unintended military incident near the islands. The US says the islets fall under a US-Japan security pact, but Washington is keen to avoid a clash in the economically vital region.

Abe, who assumed office in December after his conservative party’s big election win, reiterated in his speech that the islands are Japanese territory, and urged Beijing not to escalate tensions.

However, he added that Sino-Japanese relations were vital for Japan and said his door was always open to dialogue.

Abe also stressed the importance of the US-Japan security alliance days after his summit with US President Barack Obama.

Calling the US alliance the axis of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies, Abe said: “It is only logical that, in the open oceans, the US, which is the world’s largest marine state, and Japan, Asia’s largest maritime democracy, form a partnership, and to fortify this constantly is necessary.”